topcon:What's to "shut down?" It's a little monument you can walk around. It could exist for the next century(ies) without anyone touching it.

There is a public safety issue and the government is liable. They shut it down because to avoid liability. These people are tresspassing, but lucky for them there are no public safety people to stop them.

Remember, what they're doing on the hill doesn't mean everyone else has to be stupid too. I'm not surprised that the cops didn't force the vets out, and good on them for that. I think that the rangers at the national parks should let people in too, despite the shutdown.

parkke0108:Remember, what they're doing on the hill doesn't mean everyone else has to be stupid too. I'm not surprised that the cops didn't force the vets out, and good on them for that. I think that the rangers at the national parks should let people in too, despite the shutdown.

If a shopping mall shuts down would you suggest that it be left unlocked as well?

topcon:What's to "shut down?" It's a little monument you can walk around. It could exist for the next century(ies) without anyone touching it.

Because without police around to monitor the area, fights could break out. Eventually some asshole will pull a gun and people subsequently die.Bad things can happen when large groups of people come together

As much as I hate the idea of turning away veterans for budgetary reasons, you get a better response (and voter retribution) if a security guard makes it clear that they can't come in because Congress acted like spoiled children.

lockers:topcon: What's to "shut down?" It's a little monument you can walk around. It could exist for the next century(ies) without anyone touching it.

There is a public safety issue and the government is liable. They shut it down because to avoid liability. These people are tresspassing, but lucky for them there are no public safety people to stop them.

They could just put up signs that say "Enter at your own risk". Sort of like "No lifeguard on duty" at the beach.

Lord_Baull:Is it me, or does putting barricades in front of a public area just because there's no one to pick up trash around the area sound really stupid?

No, not just you. I'm a lefty-lefty, but there's a lot of dumb drama going on here too. I've already hit a couple of federal websites that are blacked out (some Library of Congress links, some Census Factfinder figures). I mean, seriously, the servers are there. They're presumably still plugged in (enough to give me the "shut down" message anyway). Blocking the info is pedantic. Seriously... websites run by Orthodox Jews don't shut down for the Sabbath (on the "we're not doing work by leaving this running" reasoning). There's no reason to shut down the websites. Or public grounds. I know, employees can't work, but get the Boy Scouts out to pick up trash or whatever.

Heroes in more ways than one. This is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. You cannot lock the people out of their own government, and it's absolutely ridiculous to shut down the National Mall. NO Federal dollars are needed to let people go look at a stone memorial/monument that has already been paid for -- in some cases over 100 years ago. And turning off the "panda cam" is also ridiculous. Notice they didn't turn off their own cams in Congress.

DubyaHater:topcon: What's to "shut down?" It's a little monument you can walk around. It could exist for the next century(ies) without anyone touching it.

Because without police around to monitor the area, fights could break out. Eventually some asshole will pull a gun and people subsequently die.Bad things can happen when large groups of people come together

Walker:This is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Interesting choice of phrase:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

lockers:topcon: What's to "shut down?" It's a little monument you can walk around. It could exist for the next century(ies) without anyone touching it.

There is a public safety issue and the government is liable. They shut it down because to avoid liability. These people are tresspassing, but lucky for them there are no public safety people to stop them.

I'm calling bullshiat on that reason. Shutting down that particular monument, and the others like them in true park settings, is just government rules with no thought behind them. They're probably classified in the same bracket as the other ones that may need more oversight or attendants, such as the Washington Monument, without anyone thinking it's simply a static open area with rocks and plaques.

Shutting down simpler monuments and parks is just grandstanding, no matter what party is in office at the time. Same for the White House tour. Shutting those down is only sending the message the government is dysfunctional, again, across both parties. Obama doesn't get points from anyone closing that symbol of public openness.